A traditional car key opens a car door and allows the car to be driven (e.g., via ignition). Any adjustments (e.g., car seat, mirrors, temperature, radio channel, or other personal preferences) are performed manually. Based on recent technology, advancements have been made in creating vehicle amenities for users while also providing obstacles to unauthorized access to the vehicle, including the use of personal car keys that allow for the car seat to be adjusted automatically because a key is associated with one particular person whose preferences are stored. However, carrying a key is cumbersome. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,831,993 to Lemelson et al. (hereinafter, “Lemelson”), a facial-recognition system employing a camera directed at the face of a person in the driver's seat is disclosed, which system produces output control signals or codes that are applied to enable or disable operation of the vehicle, with or without use of a key or other supplemental security system (see, e.g., Summary of the Invention, Lemelson). The facial recognition may include an iris scan (see, e.g., claim 4 of Lemelson), and additional identification functionality may be deployed, including a fingerprint reading (see, e.g., claim 24 of Lemelson). In addition, the facial-recognition system is further coupled to an electronic control of the vehicle so as to alter a personal setting automatically based on code associated with the operator recognized by the facial-recognition system, said electronic control structured to control an operating setting of at least one of the following elements of the vehicle: (a) an audio system; (b) an electronic seat; (c) a window; (d) a temperature controller; (e) a mirror; and (f) the angle of the steering wheel column relative to the dashboard (see, e.g., claim 13 of Lemelson). The camera may be mounted on the front windshield frame, wind shield, or rear view mirror (see, e.g., Summary of the Invention, Lemelson). The camera may alternatively be mounted along a vertical center plane of the vehicle adjacent the rear window, with the scanning axis directed to the rear view mirror (see, e.g., claim 6 of Lemelson). Another extension of the system is to include the capability of storing data about the personal preferences of each authorized driver, which can be used to control automatically various powered options in the vehicle. For example, each driver's preferred seat position, cabin temperature, exterior mirror or window adjustments, angle of steering column, and music selection or volume can be stored. Upon recognition of the driver, the stored option signals for the recognized driver are applied to adjust those or other variables automatically. Certain recent-model automobiles have an electronically controlled seat-adjustment mechanism, for example, which save seat-location preferences of two or more different drivers, such as under “A” and “B” settings. It would be possible to couple such electronically controlled systems to the output of a personal-recognition system, so when the facial recognition system recognizes “driver A,” a signal is sent to the known seat adjustment mechanism to put the seat in “position A.” (see column 11, line 65+ of Lemelson).
Though adjusting the various vehicle device settings to the personal settings of the user based on facial recognition moves further away from the need for keys and aids in thwarting unlawful use of the vehicle, such a system also has some limitations inherent in a fixed camera system, including adaptability. For instance, the driver's settings are fixed, where change requires active participation by the driver to make adjustments.